I need a new box for my truck and I am looking for a new design. I have to make my own, company won't buy a custom made one. I have a pickup with a cap with side windows, any ideas?
[USER=91]@Jimmy Cleveland[/USER] will be along soon and he will make your day with a link to some photos...
Brad Ott, post: 406380, member: 197 wrote: [USER=91]@Jimmy Cleveland[/USER] will be along soon and he will make your day with a link to some photos...
Yeah, I think Jimmy has a picture of every box he ever saw.
Have you looked into a local sheet metal shop we got custom boxes done for $700 and the have held up great 6years+ and you can basically design your own. A word of warning get edge trim it's pretty cheap online and will cover the sheet metal edges.
Here's Jimmy's link to the pics. Mine (jb beerleg folder) has been in continuous use with 4 different vehicles over 20 years. Dadoes, glue and screws seem to have been the key. I went with wood because metal boxes were too loud for my taste. I wrapped the sides and bottom with carpet remnants to further quiet things down. The carpet had the unforeseen benefit of keeping the beds of the trucks virtually pristine. Dirt and grit under the box is like a giant belt sander.
Whatever you decide on use wedges or, for a metal box, bolt it down.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ireu3hg7y8s14x1/AAD91pdfzsVd4U5W95MoLE-0a/Survey Truck Pictures?dl=0
JB beat me to it. I saved those pics throughout the years for designing my own, and modifying it as time went on.
I hope they are helpful.
Awesome pics Jimmy.
Just looked again. Don't know why I always do that, guess I want to build a new one as ours was designed about 35 years ago for a different equipment set. Still works, but they never envisioned occasionally hauling 8 fixed height tripod setups for static work!
Hadn't seen Ryan McDowells setup before. I have a small toolbox that I have been planning on encorporating in for nails caps and such: 
Ryans is a much bigger box. Anyone else mount a pre-made tool box in the truck?
There is a common thread in almost all of those pictures though: they don't represent reality. They were way to clean! Everybody seemed to clean things up and organize them before taking a pic! :yum:
toivo1037, post: 406437, member: 973 wrote: Just looked again. Don't know why I always do that, guess I want to build a new one as ours was designed about 35 years ago for a different equipment set. Still works, but they never envisioned occasionally hauling 8 fixed height tripod setups for static work!
Hadn't seen Ryan McDowells setup before. I have a small toolbox that I have been planning on encorporating in for nails caps and such:
Ryans is a much bigger box. Anyone else mount a pre-made tool box in the truck?
There is a common thread in almost all of those pictures though: they don't represent reality. They were way to clean! Everybody seemed to clean things up and organize them before taking a pic! :yum:
I put one of these in my new truck a couple months ago. 2016 GMC Sierra HD 4wd Crew Cab.
I've always used side tool boxes and keep the expensive stuff in the back seat. I need the open bed because I farm and am always needing to throw something like an irrigation tire in the back. I can put everything I had in the side boxes in the drawers plus some, and still have use of the full bed, even more because it goes over the wheel wells. Only problem I have is that the top of it is fairly slick. Either going to put some Rhino liner on it or a rubber mat to keep things from sliding around.
eddycreek, post: 406456, member: 501 wrote: http://decked.com/
Dude.
Excellent.
Keep us posted as time goes on.
Show us photos with your survey gear.
eddycreek, post: 406456, member: 501 wrote: I put one of these in my new truck a couple months ago. 2016 GMC Sierra HD 4wd Crew Cab.
I've always used side tool boxes and keep the expensive stuff in the back seat. I need the open bed because I farm and am always needing to throw something like an irrigation tire in the back. I can put everything I had in the side boxes in the drawers plus some, and still have use of the full bed, even more because it goes over the wheel wells. Only problem I have is that the top of it is fairly slick. Either going to put some Rhino liner on it or a rubber mat to keep things from sliding around.
Eddy,
What was the ballpark price for that unit? I am no longer in the field, and have emptied my truck of the survey box. I still have my camper shell on it, and it is great for keeping stuff dry, but I miss the open bed at times.
Jimmy Cleveland, post: 406476, member: 91 wrote: Eddy,
What was the ballpark price for that unit? I am no longer in the field, and have emptied my truck of the survey box. I still have my camper shell on it, and it is great for keeping stuff dry, but I miss the open bed at times.
I'm not eddy, but I just priced one for my F150 and it was $1,149.
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arctan(x), post: 406477, member: 6795 wrote: I'm not eddy, but I just priced one for my F150 and it was $1,149.
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Thanks. That is pretty reasonable. I paid about $1500 for the shell on the red truck, and about $1800 for the shell on the white ford in the picture albums.
I'm generally very happy with my set up, which incorporates the use of a bed slide, which makes it relatively easy to reach items under the cap. I built the wooden box using dimensions from some of the professionally made aluminum storage units, and then bolted the box unit to the bed of the truck, and the bed slide to the top of the box. I used the Kreg joinery system to make the box, and am happy with that choice, as it has held up pretty well in the 5 or so years since I made it. I picked up the bed slide used on craigslist for about $400, and the cap to match my truck for a similar amount, and the wooden box didn't cost much. I store lots of stuff in the side compartments as well. Latest addition (inspired by Javad advertisements) was to add pressure treated 2 x 4 to the top of the cap rack, with a 5/8-11 threaded stud, for quickly mounting base receiver. And, adding a switched fused 12V circuit to the left side compartment, so that Hiper Pro GNSS receivers are being charged while I drive. Works great. Quick setup and always ready to go. I'm going to do some more 12V wiring so that my data collectors, and TS & RC batteries are also charging as I drive. The rear and side compartments of the cap are each individually lockable, and so is the tailgate. I need to add some straps (or re-design the box) for holding the TS and RC boxes secure. I keep the tripods in the box below, generally extended, with points facing rear. Like Jimmy, I farm, and I sometimes wish that I didn't have a fixed setup. But, we have other trucks, and so is seldom a real issue. Here are some pics:
Big Al, post: 406484, member: 837 wrote: I'm generally very happy with my set up, which incorporates the use of a bed slide, which makes it relatively easy to reach items under the cap. I built the wooden box using dimensions from some of the professionally made aluminum storage units, and then bolted the box unit to the bed of the truck, and the bed slide to the top of the box. I used the Kreg joinery system to make the box, and am happy with that choice, as it has held up pretty well in the 5 or so years since I made it. I picked up the bed slide used on craigslist for about $400, and the cap to match my truck for a similar amount, and the wooden box didn't cost much. I store lots of stuff in the side compartments as well. Latest addition (inspired by Javad advertisements) was to add pressure treated 2 x 4 to the top of the cap rack, with a 5/8-11 threaded stud, for quickly mounting base receiver. And, adding a switched fused 12V circuit to the left side compartment, so that Hiper Pro GNSS receivers are being charged while I drive. Works great. Quick setup and always ready to go. I'm going to do some more 12V wiring so that my data collectors, and TS & RC batteries are also charging as I drive. The rear and side compartments of the cap are each individually lockable, and so is the tailgate. I need to add some straps (or re-design the box) for holding the TS and RC boxes secure. I keep the tripods in the box below, generally extended, with points facing rear. Like Jimmy, I farm, and I sometimes wish that I didn't have a fixed setup. But, we have other trucks, and so is seldom a real issue. Here are some pics:
That's a nice setup. You have been added to the album!
Jimmy Cleveland, post: 406476, member: 91 wrote: Eddy,
What was the ballpark price for that unit? I am no longer in the field, and have emptied my truck of the survey box. I still have my camper shell on it, and it is great for keeping stuff dry, but I miss the open bed at times.
I got it for $1150. They had a deal for free shipping and included one of the blue topped tool boxes and 4 drawer dividers. The dividers are plastic and not real sturdy. I've got some heavy straps and some ball hitches in the back of one and the divider isn't rigid enormously geh to keep them in place. Thinking I'll make some out of plywood. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow.
BigAl
Big Al, post: 406484, member: 837 wrote: And, adding a switched fused 12V circuit to the left side compartment, so that Hiper Pro GNSS receivers are being charged while I drive. Works great. Quick setup and always ready to go. I'm going to do some more 12V wiring so that my data collectors, and TS & RC batteries are also charging as I drive.
This isn't the best picture, but I went with solar so I can charge equipment whether the truck is running or not without risking a dead battery.
The cap, roll-out and dividers are aluminum but I still had to add super springs to the rear to beef up the stock 1/2 ton suspension. The stand peeking out behind the driver's side wheel well supports a full size deep cycle battery tucked into the existing cubby hole in the bed wall. It's charged by a 70w solar panel mounted on the ladder rack and fed through the blue charge controller on the left side of the cap. The switch box isn't visible in this picture but it has four rocker switches that allow me to control the LED lights in the cap, two cigarette lighter sockets for charging equipment and a soon to be installed inverter for charging/running devices that won't run off 12v.
I designed this canopy to fit a 2015? Hilux space cab. I wanted to see clear out the back window so I designed it with as low a profile as I thought I could get away with. Canopy builders made it out of steel I think. We lined the bays with carpet stuck on with contact adhesive
First photo: LHS - bays are as deep as collapsed tripod except 3 rearmost compartments which are all the way through to fit shovels, crowbar, prism pole etc.
Second photo: RHS - bays are about 2 feet deep. Padded instrument box bay
Here is a box that fits all of our trucks (F150, Ram1500, Chevy silverado and Nissan Titan.)
It's got 3 lift points to hoist out with a winch or a floor crane. Oh, and I didn't take time to organize it either. [emoji6]
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Stephen Ward, post: 406548, member: 1206 wrote: I still had to add super springs to the rear to beef up the stock 1/2 ton suspension.
My 1/2 ton 1998 GMC 2WD is definitely riding low.
Will a future upgrade to 4WD take care of this?
Also, my tires seem to be constantly low on pressure. I understand that there are some 70-80 psi heavy duty tires that might help.
Your thoughts, fellow beer leggers?
